The most commonly prescribed class of medication is known as SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. This class of medication has been used for over 20 years without any significant long-term effects. A similar and newer class of medication known as serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors has been available for close to 10 years and are also commonly used without significant long-term effects.

How do these medications actually work?They work by making your own natural supply of neurotransmitters, serotonin and norepinephrine, more available to you. Unfortunately, depression medications often require several weeks of treatment before experiencing improvement. If the first attempt with medication fails to achieve sufficient results, the dose may be increased or it may be switched for another medication.

What are the side effects?These medications rarely cause side effects, and when they do, the side effects normally only last for the first few weeks. They may include nausea, headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea, drowsiness or difficulty sleeping. As these medications begin to work, and the depression begins to improve, it is not uncommon for some patient's to report a sense of fuzziness in the head or feeling that there emotions are being blunted. Stopping these medications too early will result in a much higher rate of depression relapse. If the medication is working, it’s important to remain on them for roughly 12 months, even though you can expect to be feeling better sooner.

Are any of these medications addiction forming?These medications are not addictive, but it is recommended that they be tapered off slowly with your physician's input, in order to avoid withdrawal symptoms.

I knew there was a huge push on in Canada ... this is just some of it.. there are others. Guess we are not buying enough Ads yet

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, often called SSRIs, are a group of drugs commonly prescribed for depression and anxiety. These drugs are sold under brand names, such as Prozac, Paxil, Zolof, Celexa, Luvox and Effexor (which belongs to a related class of dual action SSRIs). Over 15 million prescriptions for SSRI antidepressants were written in Canada in 2003, and the number continues to grow. Two-thirds of these prescriptions were for women.

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compsports

compsports

This is part of a show I watched on tv today... not sure when they taped it this decade for sure.. it felt like I was watching a show from long ago before anyone knew about wd ...

" It's worth emphasizing that a major depressive episode involves a chemical imbalance, much like diabetes."

Yes it is in quotations because they actually said this ...........................???????

"What can you expect when you see your doctor?

When you make the appointment, let your doctor know that you wish to discuss depression and that you’ll require more time. Your physician will want to address a number of topics in screening for depression. They'll ask about your mood, or whether you have been feeling down or more tearful lately.

They may also address your sleeping patterns, eating patterns and whether you have noticed and weight changes. They'll ask about the activities you typically enjoy and will want to explore whether you have lost interest in them. Other questions may involve events in your life that could be influencing your mood or if there have been any significant losses.

Be prepared for questions about your concentration and memory or lack there of. They'll want to know if you have been experiencing feelings of guilt or worthlessness and if these feelings have ever caused you to consider hurting yourself, or suicide.

The above is discussing what your first apt with your gp to discuss your mood will be like and no place does it say check for a biological cause such as thyroid B12 ... I can't recall the others but you get the idea.

Wow, is all I can say. No wonder so many people on the apnea boards have said they spent many years on psych meds before getting diagnosed with apnea.

Dr. Scott Gledhill stated that "the prevailing sentiment amongst the medical community is that a reduction in various neurotransmitters within the brain, particularly serotonin, is most directly responsible for inducing and maintaining a state of severe depression. It's worth emphasizing that a major depressive episode involves a chemical imbalance, much like diabetes."

That is absolutely false and I find it very upsetting that a show like yours would allow that to stand without doing some fact checking. Please see this link for what the real story is regarding the chemical imbalance theory:

Additionally, you don't have to be a medical professional to know that comparing neurotransmitters that constantly fluctuate in the body and can't be measured unless you are dead is a ludicrous comparison to diabetes in which insulin can definitely be measured. Again, simply fact checking from your staff would have discovered this.

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mammaP

mammaP

SSRIs have been available for the last 10 years!!!!! It is downright irresponsible to show something that was obviously first made AT LEAST 10 years ago or more. It is akin to saying that women should stay in bed for a few days after childbirth..... dangerously outdated!

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btdt

btdt

It is like we don't exist and maybe we don't to the rest of the world as they are being fed information from 1989!!! None of the knowledge has trickled down... or up or anywhere... the marketing machine marches forward sucking up more unsuspecting people each day it is now revved up to suck in many more Canadians that is what I am seeing here.

Dr. Scott Gledhill stated that "the prevailing sentiment amongst the medical community is that a reduction in various neurotransmitters within the brain, particularly serotonin, is most directly responsible for inducing and maintaining a state of severe depression. It's worth emphasizing that a major depressive episode involves a chemical imbalance, much like diabetes."

That is absolutely false and I find it very upsetting that a show like yours would allow that to stand without doing some fact checking. Please see this link for what the real story is regarding the chemical imbalance theory:

Additionally, you don't have to be a medical professional to know that comparing neurotransmitters that constantly fluctuate in the body and can't be measured unless you are dead is a ludicrous comparison to diabetes in which insulin can definitely be measured. Again, simply fact checking from your staff would have discovered this.

I can't see how you sent them a message I can't figure out how to contact them??? any advice?

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UnfoldingSky

UnfoldingSky

It is like we don't exist and maybe we don't to the rest of the world as they are being fed information from 1989!!! None of the knowledge has trickled down... or up or anywhere... the marketing machine marches forward sucking up more unsuspecting people each day it is now revved up to suck in many more Canadians that is what I am seeing here.

I couldn't get the video to come up, you aren't saying the video was filmed then are you?

I am assuming you mean the info from the video is dated, not the video itself (ie it's a new video)?

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UnfoldingSky

UnfoldingSky

Also y'all should read this post on MIA, something similar went on on a show in Britain, the usual chemical imbalance nonsense, and a number of people responded calling them out for it, including medical professionals and other professionals in the field:

Dr. Scott Gledhill stated that "the prevailing sentiment amongst the medical community is that a reduction in various neurotransmitters within the brain, particularly serotonin, is most directly responsible for inducing and maintaining a state of severe depression. It's worth emphasizing that a major depressive episode involves a chemical imbalance, much like diabetes."

That is absolutely false and I find it very upsetting that a show like yours would allow that to stand without doing some fact checking. Please see this link for what the real story is regarding the chemical imbalance theory:

Additionally, you don't have to be a medical professional to know that comparing neurotransmitters that constantly fluctuate in the body and can't be measured unless you are dead is a ludicrous comparison to diabetes in which insulin can definitely be measured. Again, simply fact checking from your staff would have discovered this.

I can't see how you sent them a message I can't figure out how to contact them??? any advice?

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btdt

btdt

It is like we don't exist and maybe we don't to the rest of the world as they are being fed information from 1989!!! None of the knowledge has trickled down... or up or anywhere... the marketing machine marches forward sucking up more unsuspecting people each day it is now revved up to suck in many more Canadians that is what I am seeing here.

I couldn't get the video to come up, you aren't saying the video was filmed then are you?

I am assuming you mean the info from the video is dated, not the video itself (ie it's a new video)?

It was on last wk it is new and I checked the link again now I can't get the video to come up either.

However under the video the doctor has written or it has his name on it at least some of the stuff he said on the show...

"

Discussing Depression

Dr. Scott Gledhill, discusses everything you need to know about depression from signs to it’s affects on the body.

What is depression?

It is common for all of us to experience fluctuations in our mood, energy levels and sense of optimism. It is also common to have an off day, or even several off days in a row. We may feel like ourselves or are not experiencing the appropriate zest for life. Most of the time we rebound on our own from such low points, and quickly begin feeling like ourselves again, and hopefully, just as frequently, we experience periods of increased excitability

Sometimes this doesn’t happen and occasionally our mood becomes further depressed. It may be caused by a death in the family, a financial crisis such as a loss of employment, or a relationship breakup, sometimes there is no trigger.

During these periods we lose interest in activities that previously brought us joy and stop looking forward to events in our future that would normally excite us. When these days string together into weeks and perhaps months, we have entered an early phase of depression or dysphoria. As symptoms progress, we can descend further into a state of depression.

This kind of low becomes classifiable as a major depressive episode when it begins to have a tangible impact on our ability to function. Tasks as simple as getting out of bed in the morning seem impossible. Sufferers may feel an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and futility that prevents us from engaging in regular activities. These thoughts and feelings begin to negatively impact our sleep, relationships, work, and many aspects of day-to-day life. Having developed rapport with your physician will help to make it easier for them to identify the presence of depression

How does depression physically affect the body?

When an individual is suffering from a major depressive episode, we know that there are physiologic changes that occur throughout the body, particularly within the brain. Gastrointestinal systems become dysfunctional, immune systems can become suppressed, and multiple hormone levels are altered.

The prevailing sentiment amongst the medical community is that a reduction in various neurotransmitters within the brain, particularly serotonin, is most directly responsible for inducing and maintaining a state of severe depression. It's worth emphasizing that a major depressive episode involves a chemical imbalance, much like diabetes.

What can you expect when you see your doctor?

When you make the appointment, let your doctor know that you wish to discuss depression and that you’ll require more time. Your physician will want to address a number of topics in screening for depression. They'll ask about your mood, or whether you have been feeling down or more tearful lately.

They may also address your sleeping patterns, eating patterns and whether you have noticed and weight changes. They'll ask about the activities you typically enjoy and will want to explore whether you have lost interest in them. Other questions may involve events in your life that could be influencing your mood or if there have been any significant losses.

Be prepared for questions about your concentration and memory or lack there of. They'll want to know if you have been experiencing feelings of guilt or worthlessness and if these feelings have ever caused you to consider hurting yourself, or suicide.

The most commonly prescribed class of medication is known as SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. This class of medication has been used for over 20 years without any significant long-term effects. A similar and newer class of medication known as serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors has been available for close to 10 years and are also commonly used without significant long-term effects.

How do these medications actually work?

They work by making your own natural supply of neurotransmitters, serotonin and norepinephrine, more available to you. Unfortunately, depression medications often require several weeks of treatment before experiencing improvement. If the first attempt with medication fails to achieve sufficient results, the dose may be increased or it may be switched for another medication.

What are the side effects?

These medications rarely cause side effects, and when they do, the side effects normally only last for the first few weeks. They may include nausea, headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea, drowsiness or difficulty sleeping. As these medications begin to work, and the depression begins to improve, it is not uncommon for some patient's to report a sense of fuzziness in the head or feeling that there emotions are being blunted. Stopping these medications too early will result in a much higher rate of depression relapse. If the medication is working, it’s important to remain on them for roughly 12 months, even though you can expect to be feeling better sooner.

Are any of these medications addiction forming?

These medications are not addictive, but it is recommended that they be tapered off slowly with your physician's input, in order to avoid withdrawal symptoms.

notice there is mention of tapering off slowly by how your doc says ... guess they covered that part how would he know doctors are clueless about tapering... and

they are not addictive lol... they just are gee can't think of the word... but there is a pretty word for it... but

" they be tapered off slowly with your physician's input, in order to avoid withdrawal symptoms"

so now they have withdrawal symptoms no mention of what those symptoms might be...

Side effects do not include mania... just this

"

These medications rarely cause side effects, and when they do, the side effects normally only last for the first few weeks. They may include nausea, headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea, drowsiness or difficulty sleeping"

It was an hour long show . a lot was said.

I see pharma is taking the bare minimum of what will cover their asses and forging ahead with the same old spiel ... and why not nobody makes them do anything else... pay the fine hire some more sales reps and get back on the horse... really nobody fell off the horse but us.

business as usual....

Proven that it works I guess so they just keep going. The show played in Sat all the folks who watched it think everything is cool in the psych world and will go knock on the docs door cause they are sad.. tired or fed up of rush hour we will see some here some day in the future I don't think they print any letters I don't see a place for it.

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UnfoldingSky

UnfoldingSky

I'm surprised he even said withdrawal, after all isn't the industry buzz word "discontinuation"?

And ah, yeah, that "side" effect list...it's like they chopped the first few lines off the true list, which runs for pages. I can't believe they didn't even mention the sexual "side" effects, it seems everyone I meet in my daily life now knows the drugs cause them.

And I wonder if serotonin toxicity disappears in a few weeks if you stay on the drug? lol

Forgive my dark humor if I don't laugh I'll just be spending another night in a puddle of my own tears.

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btdt

btdt

Seems the machine is moving forward just like it always did like I said before there is a big push on it here in Canada.

I don't think the general population are getting it at all... and it is not wonder with the lies told being the same as always pretty much. I am sure I am going to see a lot more of it before it is done......

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Petunia

Petunia

The idea that depression and other mental health conditions are caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain is so deeply ingrained in our psyche that it seems almost sacrilegious to question it.

In fact, the idea that low levels of serotonin cause depression has become so widespread that it’s not uncommon to hear people speak of the need to “boost their serotonin levels” through exercise, herbal supplements or even sexual activity. The “chemical imbalance” theory is so well established that it is now part of the popular lexicon.

However, there is one (rather large) problem with this theory: there is absolutely no evidence to support it. Recent reviews of the research have demonstrated no link between depression, or any other mental disorder, and an imbalance of chemicals in the brain.

Folks, at this point you might want to grab a cup of tea. It’s going to take a while to explain the history of this theory, why it is flawed, and how it continues to persist in light of the complete lack of evidence to support it. I will try to be as concise as possible, but there’s a lot of material to cover and a lot of propaganda I need to disabuse you of.

Ready? Let’s start with a bit of history.

The first antidepressant, iproniazid, was discovered by accident in 1952 after it was observed that some tubercular patients became euphoric when treated with this drug.....

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Petunia

Petunia

...Global mental health, with psychiatry as its lead, is way off track. Steeped in its own biases and priorities, psychiatry and the drug industry has successfully convinced the public that psychiatric diagnoses are primarily biological. Although the biology of psychiatric diagnoses has been researched intensely for well over 50 years, nothing definite has shown up. The idea that psychiatric diagnoses are fundamentally biological has become accepted as truth, as established fact. Yet there is not a shred of reliable scientific evidence to verify this belief, upon which the entire global system of mental health understanding and treatment—in “developed” countries, at least—is based. There are of course some physical elements to all experiences.

The psychiatry-led approach to mental health is fundamentally faith-based rather than evidence-based, since there is no actual evidence to support the fundamental conviction of this system—that biology is the core and most important consideration in mental health. Just as there is no evidence on a global scale to support the biologically dominated psychiatric model of mental health, doctors have no way of confirming any biological abnormalities in their consultations with individual people.

As a group, psychiatrists and GPs have a grossly inadequate training in and therefore understanding of human emotionality and psychology. Consequently, their evaluation of people’s experiences is seriously compromised. Their perceived and self-promoted level of understanding and expertise greatly exceeds their actual level of understanding and expertise.

Psychiatry’s position as the top source of expertise in global mental health is based on their perceived and self-promoted level of understanding and expertise. If based on their actual level of expertise, psychiatry would not at all merit this dominant position.

Their evaluations are further distorted because of their biases, to which most are blind. In particular, their bias toward biology—primarily biological “problems” requiring primarily biological solutions. It is out of this biological bias that the “brain chemical imbalance” arose. It fitted with the medical preference for biology, and benefitted the medical profession enormously. It sounded impressive and persuasive. But it was—and is—false.

The medical profession has played a very major part in creating and maintaining widespread false beliefs about depression and brain chemical imbalances within the public mind.

One of the ironies in mental health globally is the dominance of a psychiatric system that has no scientific underpinnings to its core beliefs, yet other features that are virtually always present are routinely missed or undervalued with this system. This regrettable paradox occurs because doctors are not adequately trained to identify these features, proper recognition of these features would inevitably result in public questioning of the psychiatric model, so doctors don’t want to go there.

There features are (1) trauma/woundedness; (2) distress in its many forms, caused by trauma/woundedness; (3) defense mechanisms and coping strategies that we humans may put in place to minimize further wounding and distress, and to reduce our contact with woundedness and distress already experiences from which we have disconnected; (4) our patterns of choice-making, which are often greatly influenced by the previous 3 features. None of these issues are fundamentally biological.

Trauma/woundedness, distress and defense mechanisms are at the heart of mental health problems. I don’t believe biologically biased psychiatry can or will ever acknowledge this reality. Therefore, the current system is incapable of being what it should be, what the public assume it to be—an independent unbiased system whose only priority is to provide the best service possible for the people they serve. This is a very serious matter. Society’s focus on mental health is just plain wrong...

...Antidepressants do not work by correcting brain chemical imbalances. Such claims should never have been made by the medical profession, since the so-called “imbalances” have never even been demonstrated to exist. Any doctor who tells a depressed patient that they have a chemical imbalance, and that antidepressants will correct this imbalance, is misleading their patient, whether intentionally or not. Misinforming people in such a fundamental way about the nature of depression and the mode of action of medication raises major issues about informed consent to treatment...

There really is no need to iterate the "chemical imbalance" controversy on this site. The entire Internet is filled with propaganda from this 40-year research fad. I don't want this site to be filled with it.

As I said before, if you want to find "evidence" supporting "chemical imbalance," there's plenty of it out there, Lilu. You can browse through it to your heart's content, but don't bring it back here. I don't want to spend one more minute of my time countering that stuff. There are plenty of books that do that well: The Emperor's New Drugs, Your Drug May Be Your Problem, Anatomy of an Epidemic, Bad Pharma, Pharmageddon,

Lilu, you do not have to justify a decision to continue psychiatric drug treatment on this site. You can continue to believe you have a diseased brain if you wish. If you think that's best for you, it's your decision.

But -- this is a site to support people going off drugs. That's why they come here. Please do not argue that others need to stay on drugs.

If you're going to present evidence and clinical studies, such as the ones cited on the link above, don't you think it would be fair to also let people know that there are studies that show the complete opposite? I mean, I believed that author when he talked of studies that tried to induce depression by lowering tryptophan in people, but then when I did a search on Pubmed, I find evidence of the exact opposite.

Conclusions The findings that tryptophan depletion produces a relapse of symptoms in patients with depression and panic disorder who have responded to treatment with antidepressants suggests that enhanced 5-HT function is important in maintaining response in these conditions.

So what am I supposed to think? If I am to trust the information on this website as "the real truth", I would like to know that it presents all the evidence, not just evidence that supports it's agenda.

Don't you think that would be most helpful for people trying to decide whether or not getting off antidepressants is right for them? Or trying to find out what is the real cause of their mental illness?

This is a valid argument for a discussion of a legitimate scientific problem. Unfortunately the chemical imbalance theory is equivalent to the theory that the world is flat. Including it in any arguement is like inviting a three ringed circous into a scientific meeting and giving them equal attention to the presentations being offered.

ALL the papers presented to support the chemical imbalance theory are supported by Big Pharma.

Big pharma is run by very intelligent and capable administrative individuals who have made it their life's goal to sabatoge legitimate scientific inquiry for as long as they have had any say over psyciatric treatments. The administrators in these organizatiosn are highly intelligent and capable people, those with MD's PhD's, MBA's, JD's from top institutions worlwide. They decided to work for the dark side. The peer review process and academia are NOT foolproof. If you can get enough PhDs, MDs, and JD's in your pocketbook, you can begin to influence the nature of articles that are being published - and if you use that influence to gain more and more footholds, within a decade you can have unprecedented control over the information that is being sent to the world, press conferences, media, etc. There's no doubt in my mind that these highly intelligent, and highly corrupted individuals planned this out very well back in the 1970's and 1980's, and they have profited enormously by rigging one of the more difficult systems in the world to rig: academia, and the peer review process. Today, the entire system is so utterly under their control, that one cannot step foot into a university without being bombarded by their propaganda and lies - all based on "peer reviewed literature".

I would recommend reading the book called Pharmageddon by David Healy, a University of California Press publication. It's not an easy read, but it delinieates just how incredibly influencial and successful their sabotage tactics and manipulation/propaganda tactics have been. They have literally rigged the entire peer-review process, deligitimizing much of clinical research over the past 50 years, and throwing into question the validity of many research articles.

One cannot turn to the peer reviewed literature to offer a counter argument because it's rigged and full of manipulation, lies, and corruption.

It's truly breathtaking how well the pharmaceutical companies have managed to manipulate academia and research. It's no wonder that many doctors and academics have no idea that these drugs are harmful, because when they go to google scholar and read peer reviewed journals, they are bombareded with ghostwritten articles, in which the parent company refuses to release the raw data - and therefore has complete control over the information being given to the public.

This single website, SA is one of the only bastions of truth out there on the internet and in the public in general. If SA dies, so does a great deal of truth regarding the dangers posed by psychiatric medication. The only other one I can think of with any sway and influence is CEP: http://cepuk.org/

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Mort81

Mort81

Forget even about the chemical balance myth. Look at what doctors and the average dieticians tell us to eat. People like Chris Kresser seem to know but the majority don't. 80% of the population are absolutely clueless and I was one of them until this whole nightmare began

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Mort81

Mort81

Marmite you are exactly right. Its this reason that I feel I have to avoid people . It gets me too angry to get into arguments with family ,friends etc... . I spend more time now around the people who understand my situation. Its unfortunate and I dont blame everyone for thinking the way they do.But Its like you said everybody is reading from the same book and therefore has the wrong information.

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compsports

compsports

I think that we need to remember that in the wider world our beliefs about the myth of chemical imbalance are in the minority.

I remember my GP saying to me, "so many people cannot be wrong about what is happening to you"

My response was, "they can if they're all reading from the same book and the information it contains is incorrect....." and that's the essence of it really. Most people don't scratch the surface or look any further than the first few answers that they google or the facts as seen by their peers. The chemical imbalance theory has been ingrained, re-inforced and disseminated to all and sundry including professionals.

Trying to make inroads into that tide of misinformation feels like trying to hold back a tsunami at times.

I guess your GP is ignorant about history in which so many people were wrong about a situation. Or maybe he isn't and is just feeding you cr-p he knows is BS.

Anyway, gotta see my PCP today and If I get asked that S question as part of their routine screening, I would love to tell them what they could do with that question. But I can't obviously.

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btdt

btdt

ok, my question is this. We all at one point ended up in a psychiatrists office looking for relief. I know these drugs are dangerous, but doesnt how I ended up on them in the first place pose a question? So, you go through a withdrawal, but what about the problem I had that landed me on meds in the first place?

Antidepressant use does not always start in shrinks office to treat depression often the drugs are given for a pain and that is how I got railroaded into this messed up existence. I was given prozac for pain and was told by the prescriber it was a new form of anti inflammatory. I had taken anti inflammatory type drugs before and they never affected my mind. One wk of prozac use had me in emerg suicidal too afraid to tell them of the hallucinations it caused.

This was over 30 years ago and today these type drug are listed to treat many things off label as well as many things on label that have nothing to do with mental health. I think the use of these drugs for pain was one of the wake up calls because they made so many people crazy. Prozac is the most complained about drug in the history of drugs.

When I was asked at emerg if i was taking any new drugs I told them an anti inflammatory the name I could not recall it was completely discounted... what did I get...more drugs that is what ... 20 years worth of antidepressants reactions wd ect I had no idea a drug could make a person crazy not a legal drug at least... I learned everything the hard way.

So chemical imbalance from my research the term was make up by a marketing firm that serviced pharma and in a wink of an eye it caught on and scientists and shrinks all over the world were spewing nonsense with the general population eating it up... including the media.

Prozac made the cover of Time!!

Pharma's marketing for these drugs has always been fantastic too bad the drugs were not as good as they say... too bad they cause a chemical imbalance in the drug takers brain's... it is all really too bad a tragedy. One day years from now history will document it as exactly that a global tragedy.